1969 firebird 350 w air baffles
 

Got a chance to pop the hood on a car I have known about for
Over 30 years. It's not for sale yet so not going to get phs, believe it is non original motor. Non ac car looks relatively unmolested except for the motor change and an older paint job and bondo issues. What caught my eye was it has upper and lower air baffles installed. They look factory to me, but I can ask if the owner installed them for cooling issues some time in the past.
My question is, if they are original and the car is neither a 400 or an ac car dos that indicate that it likely is a 350 ho car? Thanks in advance

My original understanding is that the bafflers were only done on AC cars. However more and more I'm reading about instances like this here where a car seemingly has them, that shouldn't.

It seems like the lower baffle is probably a V8 specific (not AC specific) item.

Part of me wonders if the factory started installing upper baffles on any V8 car, simply for cooling. If there were complaints about cooling, it would have been a known and readily available fix.

This car is early enough to be carousel red fwiw

Jason, the baffles were all A/C equipped cars and all 400 cars. I owned an unmolested 69 base OHC6 Firebird for a time optioned with A/C and THM350. It had all three baffles.

Mystic, I don't ever recall them on 350HO optioned cars. The parts catalog would be the best source of application. Unfortunately I don't have access to my July 69 Parts or I'd check that out.

Possibilities on this car are they were added some time in the car's existence as it's been 57 years, or they inadvertently got installed on the assembly line.

Three options triggered the baffles. C60 (A/C), W66 (400) and G83 (posi, special gears).

Any of the three ? Makes sense based on what I have seen

That may explain why my old 69 Sprint Firebird had the baffles at it had G83 4.10 posi rear gears. Ir also had a power steering cooler, the only sprint I ever owned with one.

Power steering cooler feature was standard with certain axle ratios. Parts book research again.

I have a nut and bolt original '68 250 2 bbl car. It has a lower baffle and no upper baffles. Not sure why Pontiac didn't put the uppers on every V8 car.

Sometimes we just gotta call these things"production variances".

I have a 68 Sprint that has the lower sheet metal air dam.
Previous owner wasnt the type to add this.
I got a 69 Sprint parts car,4 speed,355 rear,that had a PS cooler.
My 68 with same combo doesnt have PS cooler.

My 69 Sprint has the uppers but not the lower. 4spd, 3.55 STT, no AC obviously.

My base six 69 has neither. 2spd auto no AC 3.23 open

The Assembly Manual shows this: (like HFR said)


9794808 : Filler ; with C60, G83, W66 ; 2 plates on each side of hood latch

9796251 : Baffle ; with C60, W66 ; piece at bottom of radiator/valence area

not sure if it was changed anytime throughout production? (like for the bottom plate for a G83 use)


:)

C60 is AC
W66 is Firebird 400
what is G83?

G80 is Safe-T-Track, G94 is performance axle option, G90 is economy axle and G94 is special order axle

It would be interesting to compare a late Master Part Catalog to the Assembly Manual, might indicate mid year changes.

G83 - 362 - Locking Diff (Spec Order Ratios)


:)

It should also list 9794809 as the sides were not the same.

The G83 is Saf-T-Track 3.55, 3.90 or 4.33:1. Probably the 4 pinion.

1. With all the interest in cooling issues, I suspect a lot of baffles got added by owners or GM service departments over the past 57 years.

However,

2. If there's one thing I am certain of with 1st Gens, there are are no absolutes when it comes to how they got equipped at the factory.

350 cid 2 bbl.

336 is also 4 pinion

My '68 350 4 speed came with both upper and lower baffles, and my wife's 350 automatic also had them. No signs of restoration or later ads. Discussed this many years ago on the fgf site. Neither car came with a/c. Chalked it up to anomalies at the factory.

was the emission decal on the pans?